Pan-fried chick pea and sun-dried tomato medallion; raspberry and red Thai chili sauce; roasted potatoes and cabbage; green beans and heirloom carrots

This set of recipes focuses on simple preparation techniques and modest seasoning to build a colorful plate in which the taste of the ingredients are at the fore.

For the chick pea medallion

1 1/2 cups of cooked chick peas*
1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (the fully dehydrated kind)
4T of olive oil (2T separated)
1/2t of coarse sea salt
2t of tamari
2T of nutritional yeast
1T of garlic, minced
2t of ginger, minced
2t of dried ground cumin
1t of dried ground coriander
1t of dried rubbed thyme
2T of hard wheat flour
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the sauce

1/2 cup of fresh raspberries
1/2t (or to taste) of red Thai chili paste
1T of sugar**
1t of tamari
A pinch of coarse sea salt
1T of coconut oil

For the potatoes and cabbage

2 potatoes in 1/2″ dice (about 1/4 pound)
2 cup of shredded cabbage
3T of cooking oil
2 scallions minced (leave about 3″ of scallion for garnish
1/4t of coarse sea salt
Seal salt and black pepper to taste

For the carrots and green beans

6 small heirloom carrots
2 cups of green beans
2T of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
Sea salt, black pepper and nutritional yeast to taste

Directions

For the chick peas, puree all the items except the flour and 2T of oil.
Let stand 10 minutes.
Add additional seasoning to taste.
Form the chick pea mixture into medallions (two for this amount) about half an inch thick.
Lightly dust the medallions with the flour.
Bring the remaining 2T of oil to heat on medium high in a frying pan.
Add the medallions and pan fry on both sides until lightly brown (2-3 minutes each side)
Remove from heat and serve.

For the sauce, puree the raspberries, chili, salt, and sugar.
Cover and let stand 30 minutes.
Slowly add the coconut oil in a dribble while blending to emulsify the oil.
Add additional sea salt to taste (but it should be sweet and sour).

For the cabbage, preheat the oven to 400F.
Toss the potatoes, cabbage and scallions in 2T of oil and sea salt.
Oil a baking sheet with the remaining 1T.
Spread evenly on the baking sheet and roast until the cabbage is lightly browned and the potatoes are fork tender stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes, but ovens vary — use the colour as your guide).

For the carrots and green beans, clean and trim the ends of the beans and carrots
Bring the oil and the sea salt to heat on medium high
Pan fry the vegetables until lightly seared, flipping here and there (usually about 6-8 minutes).

To plate
Because of the amount of vegetable in this dish, plating each part separately can be a challenge. If you have a large enough plate, plate in a row with the sauce under the chick peas. Otherwise, the cabbage and potatoes make a good base on which to plate the chick peas. Garnish with thinly sliced scallion greens.

Other sauces that either contrast or complement the chick peas will work well with this dish. A little lemon and caper, artichokes, a mushroom reduction, a peanut sauce.

*I slow cook the chick peas in batches to have them on-hand (2 cups of chick peas with 6 cups of water with a ‘sprig’ of dried kombu).

**Some table sugars still use animal bone charcoal to bleach the sugar. Organic sugar, beet sugar, agave nectar and others typically do not.